Kai wasn't sure what was heavier: the weighted training gear hidden under his hoodie… or the six shopping bags he'd somehow been convinced to carry.
Bulma led the way through West City's biggest mall, moving like she was navigating a battlefield with surgical precision. Kai followed behind, trying not to get clotheslined by swinging clearance signs.
"Explain to me again," Kai said, shifting a bag to his other arm, "why one human needs this many outfits."
Bulma glanced back without slowing. "Style is a form of survival. Just because we might get vaporized by interstellar psychos doesn't mean I'm gonna do it wearing last year's boots."
"Can't argue with that," Kai muttered. "Mostly because I don't understand any of it."
Two shops later, he was slouched in the 'Waiting Boyfriend Chair' outside a fitting room, buried in bags, and wondering if this counted as resistance training.
Bulma peeked her head out, holding up a pair of jeans and a yellow top. "Be honest. Do these say confident and approachable, or I own five cats and talk to plants?"
Kai blinked. "Uh… somewhere between 'mild threat' and 'fashion icon'?"
She tilted her head. "That's not an answer."
He shrugged. "You could wear a paper bag and still look cool."
"Oh, smooth," she said, disappearing back into the room. "Keep that up and I might buy you socks."
"I don't wear socks."
"I've noticed."
On the way to the next store, Kai whispered, "How long is this mission?"
Bulma laughed. "It's not a mission. It's shopping."
"Same thing. There are obstacles. Unexpected ambushes. That one lady tried to kill me with perfume."
"She offered you a sample."
"It burned."
"That's because you tried to eat it."
"Don't label things 'vanilla blast' if they're not food."
Eventually, mercifully, they made it to the food court.
Kai sat down and inhaled a plate of dumplings, two bowls of noodles, and something he wasn't sure had a name, just "Crunchy Mystery" written on the sign.
Bulma sipped her smoothie and watched with mild concern.
"You ever slow down?"
Kai wiped his mouth with a napkin. "What's the point? Energy in, training out."
"Right. You're basically a stomach with legs."
"I'm efficient. Like a hungry tank."
She smirked. "You've got a weird charm, you know that?"
"I do, actually. It's part of my training regimen."
"Charm?"
"No. Being unreasonably tolerable."
As they left the mall, bags in hand and sun dipping lower, Bulma looked over at him. "You didn't complain too much."
Kai flexed his fingers. "My arms are numb, but sure, I'll call that a win."
"You carried everything without whining."
"I whined a little."
"You made faces, not sounds. That's growth."
He looked at her. "So… was this payback for the towel incident?"
Bulma grinned. "That was part of it."
He raised an eyebrow. "And the other part?"
"I wanted to see if you could survive something scarier than a ki blast."
"…And?"
"You passed. Barely."
As they reached the Capsule Corp gates, Kai gave her a look.
"So… tomorrow we go back to training?"
She scoffed. "Obviously. Shopping is only half the battle. The other half is looking good while vaporizing things."
"I fear you more than anything else on this planet."
"Smart man."